The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that the restructuring of the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile programme is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with initial operational capability targeted for the early 2030s, the service stated.
Announced on 17 February 2026, the update outlines progress under a transformed acquisition strategy aligned with the 2026 National Defense Strategy. Programme officials said they are working toward achieving a Milestone B decision by the end of this year.
To accelerate delivery of major weapons programmes, the Department of the Air Force established a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Critical Major Weapon Systems in August 2025. The role centralises oversight of programmes including Sentinel, Minuteman III, F-47 and B-21 under a single authority intended to reduce decision latency and streamline coordination across acquisition, infrastructure and operational transition.
Gen. Dale White, director for Critical Major Weapon Systems, said: “The DRPM has the direct authority to make decisions, informed by integrated inputs across the enterprise and in alignment with the mission priorities set by the Secretary of War and the Secretary for the Air Force.” He added: “That construct allows us to resolve tradeoffs quickly and move with the speed required to deliver credible deterrence — while preserving the discipline this mission demands.”
Sentinel represents a full replacement of the Minuteman III system, including the missile, launch systems and command-and-control infrastructure, forming a key element of the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
Over the past year, the programme has completed several technical milestones. The Air Force assembled its first complete three-stage ground test missile for pathfinder activities ahead of flight testing. It also completed qualification testing of the Stage-1 and Stage-2 solid rocket motors, and concluded a critical design review for the Sentinel Launch Support System. White said: “The Sentinel team did the hard work to demonstrate readiness to advance key decisions, and they brought forward the data to support it.” He added: “The restructured Sentinel program is the product of a deliberate, data-driven process and embodies our commitment to transforming acquisition.”
Operational transition efforts are also underway. Air Force Global Strike Command has taken the first Minuteman III silo offline as part of a phased transition plan, with Site Activation Task Force detachments established at F.E. Warren, Malmstrom, Minot and Vandenberg to manage deactivation and construction activities. Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said: “The activation of these SATAF detachments and turnover of the first Minuteman III silo is a clear signal: we are making real, tangible progress in accelerating the Sentinel program and fielding significantly improved long-range strike capabilities.”
The restructured approach includes building new silos rather than refurbishing legacy structures, which the Air Force said reduces risk and cost uncertainty. An incremental flight-test strategy described as “crawl, walk, run” is also intended to validate technologies earlier and support integration. In the coming months, work will include breaking ground on a prototype launch silo in Utah, validating construction methods at F.E. Warren, and continuing development of new Wing Command Centers and test facilities at Vandenberg. The first missile pad launch is planned for 2027.
In an ideal world the stupidity of owning and deploying nuclear weapons would be recognised and nuclear powers would be working to eliminate them as a clear threat to humanity.
Those of us who grew up during the cold war will recall the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) signed on 5 August 1963 after 499 atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted. Rising public concern surrounding the ever increasing megatonnage and resulting nuclear fallout from these tests put pressure on governments to restrict testing to underground facilities. Now the world has an epidemic of cancer. One wonders why?
Developing, deploying and upgrading nuclear weapons and delivery/targeting systems is ruinously expensive. Britain’s conventional forces have been cut and cut again to pay for Dreadnaught. Our Vanguard boats are ageing fast and take forever to refit, resulting in very long patrols. We do not have enough serviceable Astute SSN to ride shotgun for them
There are a number of primate alpha males in America, Russia, China, Israel, France, Britain (Iran?) who wish to retain the ability to rattle nuclear missiles at each other, usually over territorial disputes. The various treaties limiting the number of nuclear weapons have expired. These need to be renegotiated ASAP
We are not chimps fighting over food resources in the Africa jungle, tho looking at Putin, Xi and Trump one could be forgiven for mistaking the error
I doubt that the current rise in cancer diagnoses (not the same as cases) is related directly to atomic testing. There are much better explanations. For example:
– An improvement in the ability of medical professionals to diagnose cancer (so more people are diagnosed, and the rate increases)
– A worsening in air quality, especially in major cities
– A misunderstanding of the damage that is caused by UV light, thus increasing skin cancer rates
– A worsening in the quality of foodstuffs, and an abundance of microplastics in the food web
I could list many others, but you get the picture.
While I agree with your first paragraph, and the first sentence of your 3rd paragraph, the second sentence is wholly inaccurate.
You claim that Britain’s conventional forces have been cut and cut again to pay for Dreadnaught. The reduction in Britain’s spend of GDP on defence since the fall of the Berlin wall however would actually counter that claim. Then add in the fact that so many elements of defence spending that were never included in the GDP spend on defence are now included, and that the MOD is spending millions every year on projects that never come to fruition and end up having their funding cut. What you are left with is the rest of the reduced budget to pay for actual capabilities, which cost more, and manpower which is massively reduced.
Thanks to “Best Value” policies of Blair’s Labour government, you have things that were once run in-house and not for profit being contracted out to companies who run things for profit, further reducing funding for actual capabilities and manpower.
One of those things is the Air Tanker PFI contract. Even at today’s unit cost of £152m per aircraft, buying the 14 (at surge capability) the RAF (MOD) lease from Air Tanker would cost £2.1b. It has been suggested that back when the contract was signed, that the RAF could have had them for around £50m per airframe with a total purchase cost of £700m for the fleet. With that PFI contract now having cost the MOD £6.1b, it shows that the money that Blair refused to spend at the time being great value compared to the PFI contract that cost his government very little at the time.
When you then add in the privatisation model to other areas of the defence budget, such as with stores manning provided by Serco, Catering provided by Sodexo, servicing of aircraft provided by Babcock at RAF Valley, Rolls Royce providing servicing of EJ200 for the RAF and the many other services contracted out for profit, where exactly do you think the defence budget is going? It’s certainly not into defence capability and personnel.
The fact is it’s going to overpaid senior managers, directors and shareholders of the above listed companies and many more not mentioned and it’s all done for profit. In years gone by, those jobs would have been undertaken by serving personnel and done not for profit but to provide a capability.